Friday, May 23, 2014

HDIt's an opportunity to get away from the city, step back to an earlier time and experience remote California.

In May, Santa Cruz Island is still green and adorned with wildflowers. Keep a look out for the endangered Channel Island fox. The Santa Cruz Island fox (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae) is one of six subspecies of island fox, each found on their own Channel Island. In 2000, this tiny canine was facing extinction. Today they are making a strong recovery. (Find out more at Friends of the Island Fox)

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Explore the Roman ruins of the Temple of Aphrodite at the base of the Tarsus Mountains in Turkey.

Dedicated to the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodisia was a ceremonial city between 200 BCE and 200 CE. A gathering place to enjoy athletic competitions in a stadium holding 30,000 spectators. An artisan colony were sculptors created masterpieces in local marble. A resort for the spirit with market places and baths.

Before the Romans, the Greeks; before the Greeks, this was a sacred site for honoring the Earth Mother.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Los Angeles is filled with Hidden Gardens; gardens free to the public offering quiet escapes and natural treasures.

Orcutt Ranch Park has been one of my favorite Hidden Gardens since I was a child, it is rich with romantic rose gardens, iconic citrus groves, and ancient oak trees.

The park is a 24-acre remnant of a 210-acre cattle ranch established by William Warren Orcutt and his wife. Rancho Sombra del Roble or “ranch in the shade of the oak” was nestled along a stream in the northwest corner of the San Fernando Valley. In wet years the stream still flows. This prime location was probably inhabited by native peoples prior to the mission era. Legend has it that the adobe to build the bricks for the San Fernando Mission came from just up the canyon west of the ranch.

Orcutt was a wealthy oil executive in the early boom days of California oil drilling. He and his wife retired to their ranch and lived out the rest of their lives here. In doing so, they protected a slice of California history, including a majestic oak glen. The Orcutt home, now used for events, is modest and classically southwestern. The park was registered as a Historical-Cultural Monument in 1965.

Look For:

Adobe ranch house built in 1926

Ancient oak trees, including the Bicentennial Oak; a coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) believed to be over 700 years old. (Massive branches were cut off of this tree to stoke the kilns that created the limestone ash for use in making the bricks and mortar for Mission San Fernando.)

"The Earth Minute"; Eclipse-1 Media

All media (text, images, audio, and video) is the property of Eclipse-1 Media unless specifically stated and may not be used without attribution and permission. For permission contact info@eclipse-1.com